He is known only by his surname, Fonseca. The singer-songwriter from Bogotá was barley a teenager in the 1990s when the music industry was grooming fellow Colombian artists who also went by a single name, Shakira and Juanes. And the young up-and-comer was barely out of college when he was invited to open for those same international superstars, who could have been his slightly older siblings.

Today, Fonseca is their full-fledged peer, sharing the top of the charts and the world stage as one of his country's most popular performers with growing worldwide acclaim. This talented 30-year-old is the new standard-bearer of a musical revolution that started when he was still a child, one rooted in Colombia's rich folk music traditions - especially the joyful, accordion-accented coastal music called vallenato -- but modernized with rock vitality and electric guitars.

Fonseca's music marks the next step in that cultural movement, the evolution of the revolution. With three successful albums to his credit, he continues to build on those roots while incorporating an ever wider spectrum of other styles, from lounge and jazz to big-city salsa and melodic romantic pop. In the process, he has produced a fresh urban fusion that owes as much to George Michael as Carlos Vives.